U.S. Sen. Rob Portman says his proposal to limit initial prescriptions of opioids to three days in cases of acute pain is based on good science. He defended its inclusion in the newest version of his Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act.
The move has been criticized by the American Medical Association as too restrictive – and interfere with doctor-patient relationships. Portman says the standards are reasonable.
“Doctors have not used good judgment over the years as a rule because they have overprescribed medication consistently -- not every doctor, but too many. And I’m tired of going home and hearing the stories of somebody who initially became addicted through an accident or an injury.”
He says the three-day standard is based on the science of when people are likely to get addicted, and that the bill would allow the prescriptions to be extended under special circumstances.
